UMass students elected as Amherst town meeting members

AMHERST – While the numbers aren’t official yet, about 10 University of Massachusetts students appear to have been chosen during the town election Tuesday to be members of town meeting.

At least 15 ran for office, some faced competition others did not.
There were no contested races for town-wide office.

Akshay Kapoor, president of the UMass Student Government Association, and Renee Barouxis, an SGA outreach coordinator, worked with students to encourage involvement. Both were elected.

Kapoor said he was happy with the results. “I think it’s a big change.” In the past, just a few ran for seats. “Overall I’m excited with the results. I think we can really change the dialogue. It will be exciting to work from this new position,” he said.

“We’ve been pushing the olive branch. We’re really doing whatever we can to build the relationship with the town.” This he said will bring their voices to the body that addresses the issues and makes the bylaws.

“We’re really are one community,” he said. Some in town have had problems with some students who throw loud parties or disrupt neighborhoods.

“Unfortunately, some Amherst residents paint students with one brush. The vast majority of students do not cause trouble in community. In fact, the majority of students simply study, volunteer, intern, and work in the community, and don't cause any trouble in their free time,” Barouxis wrote in an email.

She said, "It's important to have student voices in Amherst Town Meeting to show that students have a lot of the same goals that other residents do-- safe roads, good schools, flourishing businesses, clean parks and biking and hiking trails, and so on.

"We drive on the same roads, we interact with children in town, we frequent the same eateries and shops and enjoy the town's natural beauty. We are just as concerned as other residents about fiscal responsibility, inclusivity, sustainability, and other matters.

“Too often issues are framed as ‘students versus the town,’ but that is not right. Students are not separate from town, we are a part of it. Even though we might not have lived in Amherst our whole lives, we love this town and we care about what happens to it.”